When Our Homes Become Connected, Designers Will Save Us | WIRED

CHIPS, RADIOS, AND sensors are getting cheaper. Computation and connectivity are creeping into the world. Soon, we’re told, more things in our homes will chirp at us, chat with other things, and quietly send information back to the companies that made them. Inevitable though this future may be, the details remain foggy. We can assume our connected world will be useful, convenient, and creepy—we just don’t know in what ratio. 

Designers have a crucial role in how this shakes out. As opposed to merely looking at products in terms of efficiency or profit, designers are trained, at least theoretically, to be sensitive to a broader spectrum of issues. They’re the ones who are supposed to think about how products fit into our lives and society at large. And more and more, they’re in a position to bring those considerations to bear on how a product is developed. In territory as vast, lucrative, and unknown as the Internet of Things (IoT), that’s a hugely important responsibility. Thankfully, some designers already are thinking hard about the job and the potential pitfalls of designing for our newly connected world.